Aftermath
by RascalKat
Summary: 'There was something almost… cute... about how innocent and dopey he had acted earlier. Of course, she wouldn't ever say that out loud, but that doesn't mean she can't think it.' - The aftermath of The Creeping Doom Episode, or at least my take on it, considering it hasn't aired yet. Fluffy Apriltello one-shot!


Aftermath

 _** Special thanks to FaithfulWhispers for her help in editing this fic. Couldn't have done it without you, Faith! **_

 _Please note that this fic was written before the episode aired. All I had to go on was the leaked screenshots of Donatello with Icecream Kitty on his head and Donatello drinking "wake up" juice from one of those stupid drink hats. However, I think it still matches pretty closely to what actually happened in the episode, so I won't change it._

* * *

The door to Donatello's lab is closed, but April knows he's in there. She raps on the door, half expecting him to ignore her.

She knows the past day has been hard on him, and honestly, she isn't going to blame him if he doesn't want to spend time with anyone right now.

It had been one of her hopes that he wouldn't remember anything of what happened, but fate had decided not to be so kind.

"Who is it?" Donnie asks. There's a hollow sound to his voice, like he can't quite get the breath to support his words.

"It's me."

To her surprise, the door opens. It's dark inside, and Donnie's squinting at the light that pours in from the living room. He isn't even smiling at her, just staring with this what-the-heck-do- _you-_ want look on his face.

"Are you okay?" She takes a cautious step closer, almost afraid he'll shut the door on her.

"My head is killing me," he says bluntly, moving back to let her into the lab. She walks into the darkened room and closes the door behind her, trying to let her eyes adjust to the dimness. There's a greenish blue light over by The Pulverizer's tank, so she can still see enough to maneuver around the lab.

"Yeah, the headache is probably withdrawal from all the caffeine," she replies. "At first, we thought you were so tired you'd gone slap-happy, but when the energy drinks just made you hyper, it was even worse." There's a smile in her voice as she thinks of all the truly hilarious moments that went along with Donnie's caffeine high.

"Hah, yeah. Don't remind me…" He takes a seat at his desk and buries his head in his arms.

Her stomach drops. She's said the wrong thing, and she knows it. The thought strikes her that he's so embarrassed of all that he's done today, he doesn't want anyone to look at him.

"It wasn't as bad as you think," she says. Her voice wavers just a bit, and she's afraid that she doesn't sound sincere enough.

"That's not going to work, April, especially when I know exactly what happened. I tried to _eat_ Ice Cream Kitty!" He groans, putting his hands over his head like he's trying to protect himself from the disgrace of it.

This conversation is going downhill fast, and she's not sure what to say to pull him out of it. Donnie has always been the most stressed about what others think of him, and if she were honest, she'd be embarrassed about acting like a drunken idiot as well.

"I'm serious, Donnie…" She really is serious. There was something almost… _Cute_ about how innocent he had acted earlier. Of course, she wouldn't ever say that out loud, but that doesn't mean she can't _think_ it.

He hunches his shoulders, flinching away from her. He doesn't believe her, and she has to find a way to _make_ him believe her. And suddenly, she has an idea.

"You know what the _best_ part about today was?" She grins, grabbing a chair and pulling it next to his. She leans her head against her hand, her elbow propped up on his desk.

"The moment I finally shut up about how much I like your hair?" he asks bitterly, his voice muffled. He's still hiding his face from her.

She can't help but laugh at that. "Nope! Actually, I kind of liked all the hair compliments. I got teased for it in grade school, so it's nice to know that at least _someone_ likes it.

He huffs out a breath, and she can see his shoulders relax just barely.

 _There we go,_ she thinks to herself. _Just don't screw it up._

"The part I really liked about today was getting to see you act like a kid again." She holds her breath for a moment, waiting for him to react.

He sits up and just stares at her, like he she's just started talking in a foreign language that even **_he_** doesn't know, so she continues. "I know it's been really stressful these past few months, what with the Kraang Invasion, and trying to find a cure for Karai… But the cool thing about today was that you didn't seem to remember any of that, any of the bad stuff that's happened before. It was… Actually kind of refreshing…"

He narrows his eyes, and she doesn't know what she's said wrong this time, but she can suddenly feel the air around them get colder. "So what you're saying is that I'm _normally_ depressing to be around, is _that_ it?"

The wheels of his chair squeak as he gets up, and April just gapes at the suddenly empty space in front of her. He can't honestly think that's what she was trying to say, can he?

"Donnie… Donnie, that's not what I meant, come on!" She scrambles out of her chair and takes a few steps after him. It hits her that he's headed for the door, and probably for his room after that to lock himself away for the night. "Hang on a minute, let me explain!"

A few feet from the door, Donnie stops short, because he knows that storming off is only going to hurt her. A hurt April would be the icing on the cake for a day like today, and he really doesn't want that, no matter how hurt _he_ is.

April just plunges into her explanation, the words welling up from somewhere she didn't know existed. "What I meant when I said that it was refreshing… Was that it's been hard to watch how jaded you've become over the last few months, and… I'm not saying that it's your fault that you've gotten more cynical lately, because everyone has... But it was nice to see a real smile on your face, because seeing _you_ so happy made _me_ happy, okay?"

He turns around, and from the look on his face, she can tell she's finally said the right thing. So she keeps talking.

"You're really important to me, Donnie, okay? And your life's been tough, I know, but every time I see how brave and happy you are despite all of the crap that's happened, it makes me think that maybe I can be brave and happy too. My mom's gone, but you didn't even _have_ a mom, and you've spent your entire life in a _sewer_ when that big _genius_ brain of yours belongs above ground, fixing everything that's wrong with the world."

The words are just spilling out of her now, all the things she's been too afraid to say because they sounded too sappy or too melodramatic. Taking a deep breath, she tries to say one last _important_ thing. And then her words are cut off when he pulls her into a hug so tight it almost hurts.

She wraps her arms around him, awkwardly at first because of his shell, but she finally figures out a way to hug him comfortably. They just stand there for a few seconds, and she doesn't know if she should keep talking. Does he still doubt himself, or has he finally figured out how much he means to her?

Silence settles around them, and she's too afraid to break it because it almost seems magical.

A few moments later, he breaks that silence himself. "Thanks April," he whispers, the shame and embarrassment fading from his voice. "I really needed that…"

There's a knot in her throat, and she thinks it's been there ever since her dad was first taken by the Kraang, but she feels it loosen just a bit.

He lets go of her and takes a step back, and it's at this point that April remembers why she came in here in the first place.

"The guys got pizza, we could go and get some if you're up to it." She's hoping that she's finally gotten it through his thick skull that he's not to blame for any of this. Even if his brothers make fun of him for all the stupid stuff he's done, they love him. And so does she, April thinks, smiling at him. "And we got anchovies!" she says in a sing-song voice.

He chuckles and smiles back at her. April can't help the warmth that floods through her, because it's a _real_ smile, not one of the fake ones he's been giving her so often lately. "Anchovies, huh?" He turns toward the door again, and she can't help but notice that he's holding himself differently now. There's a confidence in his stride that wasn't there before, hasn't been there for a while.

April smiles to herself as she leaves the lab as well, hoping that maybe some of his confidence will stick this time.


End file.
